Convertible confection container



Nov. 21 1961 D. ERICKSON 3,009,567

CONVERTIBLE CONFECTION "-ONTAINER Filed Nov. 23, 1959 INVENTOR. Ray 0. EQ/CK50N ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofiice 3,009,567 Patented Nov. 21, 1961 3,009,567 CONVERTIBLE CONFECTION CONTAINER Roy D. Erickson, El Segundo, Calif. (1865 Whitehurst Drive, Monterey Park, Calif.) Filed Nov. 23, 1959, Ser. No. 854,701 10 Claims. (Cl. 20646) This invention relates to a convertible confection container and has for an object to provide a container that embodies also the components of binoculars which are adapted to be rearranged to convert the container into an inexpensive, yet eflicient, optical device such as binoculars.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide a container which may be used to vend popcorn, peanuts, candy, and other such confections at theatres, stadia, ball parks, and other such large-area places, and to so con struct said container that the same, when emptied, without tools or other mechanical aids, may be converted into binoculars enabling the user to better view remote portions of such large-area places.

A further object of the invention is to provide a convertible item of the character above referred to that is inexpensive and, because of the dual purpose thereof, will promote merchandising of confections, as above mentioned.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawing merely shows and the following description merely describes, one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference similar parts in the several views.

FIG. 1 is a partly broken, perspective view showing thepresent device in its form as a container.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged and fragmentary cross-sectional view of the lower portion of the container.

- FIG. 3, to the scale of FIG. 1, is a partly broken, perspective view showing the present device arranged as binoculars.

The present convertible device comprises, generally, a tubular member 5 that is open at both ends; a telescopically fitted member 6 constituting a bottom closure for the member 5, whereby the device is adapted to hold a quantity of confections, and constituting an adjustably slidable housing upon conversion of the device into binoculars; and lens-holding elements 7 and 8 normally housed in the interior of the member 6, when the same acts as a container bottom, and adapted for operative connection with the members 5 and 6 whereby a binocular structure is created from the components of a confection container.

The convertible device is shown as of rectangular form but it will be obvious that the form thereof may be changed to round, oval, flattened oval, or any polygonal form that would be suitable. Of course, in the interests of economy of manufacture, the components 5 and 6 and the lens-holding portions of the elements 7 and 8 are preferably made of heavy paper or thin cardboard, such as would have reasonably good rigidity in use, so that the device is form-retaining under all of its positions of use.

The tubular member 5 is shown as of rectangular form with the sides 10 wider than the sides 11. Intermediate characters designate each said side 10 is provided with a slot 12, which slots are nearer one end than the other and are the same distance from said nearer end.

The telescopic member 6 is formed to have sides 13 and 14 to respectively fit with the sides 10 and 11 of the member 5. Said sides 13 and 14 are substantially shorter than are the sides 10 and 11, but preferably long enough to cover the slots 12 when the member 6 is disposed at the mentioned nearer end of the member 5.

The telescopic member 6 includes a bottom 15, the same forming a bottom closure for the tubular member 5. The member 6 may be held in such position as by a strip of pressure-sensitive tape 16, by staples, or other metal stitches, or in other suitable ways, providing that separation of the connection between members 5 and 6 may be readily accomplished without the use of tools. When so detached, the member 6 may be telescopically slid within the member 5, the fit being preferably such that the adjusted position of the member 6 will be frictionally maintained until change of adjustment is desired.

The sides 13 are each provided with a slot 17 similar to slots 12 and nearer the edges of the sides that are remote from the bottom 15. If desired, a second and similar slot 18 may be provided in each side 13 nearer to the bottom 15.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, a curved score line or line of perforations19 is preferably formed in each side 13, the same extending in an are between the corners 20 where the sides 14 join the bottom 15. The scoring or perforations extend along the adjacent edges of sides 14 also, it being a simple matter, therefore, to tear away the bottom 15 and the connected segments 21 that are subtended by the tear lines 19. As seen in FIG. 3, removal of these portions creates concavely curved edges 22 at the ends of sides 13. It will be clear that the edges 22 enable the face part around the eyes of a user to approximately fit into the curved recess thus provided in member 6 and bringing the eyes of the user in proper operative position. Of course, the shape of tear lines 19 may be varied, as desired. Also, one line may have a different shape than the other so that, for instance, the forehead may be accommodated by one edge 22 and the cheek bones and nose bridge by the other edge 22.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the entire member 6 in position as a closure for outer member 5, and FIG. 3 shows the member 6, after removal of bottom 15 and the segments 21 and in telescopically extended position relative to the adjacent end of said member 5.

Each element 7 and 8 may be made of two plies 23 with suitably spaced openings 24 so that lenses 25 between the plies are held in register with said openings. One element carries eye lenses that are smaller than the object lenses carried by the other element. In any case, conforming to binocular design, the elements 7 and 8 hold the lenses in pairs so the eyes of a person looking into the open end of member 6 will see through said lenses. To this end, the member 7, having the larger object lenses, is held in fixed position across the member 10 by tabs 26 thereon which are entered in the slots 12, and the member 8 having the smaller eye lenses is similarly held in fixed position across the member 6 by tabs 27 thereon which are entered either in the slots 17 or the slots 18, according to the optical needs of the user. The use as binoculars of the present device is clear from FIG. 3 wherein it is evident that by telescopically adjusting the member 6 in the member 5, proper optical viewing is achieved.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show that the elements 7 and 8 may be stored on the bottom 15 when the device is being used as a container. Said elements may be placed along one side or, if desired, set on the upper edges of the sides 13 within its ends,

the sides 10. In any case, said elements will become exposed when the contents of the container are consumed at which time they may be installed in the manner above described to convert the container into binoculars.

It will be clear that the elements 7 and 8 may be made in other ways than as two plies holding the lenses. A simple adhesive-mounted washer may be used to afiix each lens in register with an opening 24 in a single-ply element. The lenses are advantageously made of a clear plastic for safety and economy.

While the foregoing specification illustrates and describes what I now contemplate to be the best mode of carrying out my invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Therefore, I do not desire to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but desire to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A convertible device comprising an outer tubular member having open ends, an inner member fitted into one end of the outer member and provided with side walls and an end wall to close the latter end of the outer member and adapting the same to hold confections therein, the inner member being provided with tear lines around said end wall and portions of said side walls and adapting said end wall and side wall portions to be torn away to convert the inner member to a telescopically adjustable tubular member, and two lens-carrying elements disposed within the inner member when the device holds confections, and means to connect one said element to the outer member and the other to the inner telescopic member to span across the respective members to provide a binocular optical system within the device.

2. A convertible device according to claim 1 in which each element carries two lenses spaced according to human eye spacing, the lenses of the element connected to the other tubular member being larger than the lenses of the other element.

3. A convertible device comprising an outer tubular member having open ends, an inner member fitted into one end of the outer member and provided with side walls and an end wall to close the latter end of the outer member and adapting the same to hold confections therein, the inner member being provided with tear lines around said end wall and portions of said side walls and adapting said end wall and side wall portions to be torn away to convert the inner member to a telescopically adjustable tubular member, the tear lines in the side walls being curved to subtend a segment-shaped portion to provide said inner member with a concavely-curved faceaccommodating outer end, and two lens-carrying elements disposed within the inner member when the device holds confections, and means to connect one said element to the outer member and the other to the inner telescopic member to span across the respective members to provide a binocular optical system within the device.

4. A convertible device according to claim 3 in which means is provided for detachably connecting the inner and outer member when arranged as a confection container.

5. A convertible device comprising an outer tubular member having open ends, an inner member fitted into one end of the outer member and provided with side walls and an end wall to close the latter end of the outer member and adapting the same to hold confections therein, the inner member being provided with tear lines around said end wall and portions of said side walls and adapting said end wall and side wall portions to be torn away to convert the inner member to a telescopically adjustable tubular member, and two lens-carrying elements disposed within the inner member when the device holds confections, and means to connect one said element to the outer member and the other to the inner telescopic member to span across the respective members to provide a binocular optical system within the device, the connecting means comprising tabs on the lens-carrying elements and slots in the sides of the inner and outer members.

6. A convertible container device comprising: a first tubular member having an open end; a second tubular member telescopically fitting with the first tubular member and having one closed end adapted to form a closed end of the first tubular member, the other end of the second tubular member being open; means for releasably holding said second tubular member in position to close one end of the first tubular member; objective lens means mounted on a carrying element arranged within the device, when holding comestibles, in position to leave the interior unobstructed; means to connect said objective lens-carrying element to said first tubular member, when free of comestibles, to extend across the interior thereof; and eye lens means mounted on said second tubular member, the user looking through the lenses through the device and open end thereof when using it as an optical viewing aid.

7. A convertible container device as set forth in claim 6, in which tabs are provided on the edges of the element and means on which the objective lens and eye lens are mounted, the Walls of the tubular members having slots to receive said tabs.

8. A convertible container device as set forth in claim 6 and in which tear lines are provided in the first element to facilitate removal of portions thereof and conversion of the container, when empty, to an optical device.

9. In a convertible device according to claim 8, said tear lines extending across two opposed sides of the inner member and along the adjacent edges of the sides intermediate said opposed sides, to subtend portions of said side which tear away with the end.

10. In a convertible device according to claim 8, said tear lines extending across two opposed sides of the inner member to subtend portions of said sides which tear away with the end, the portions of the tear lines that extend across the mentioned sides being curved in a direction to impart concave curvature to the ends of the sides of the inner member after the end and parts of the sides have been torn away.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

